I am looking out the living room window.  Nobody is on the street and the quiet is daunting.  It is a struggle to find peace in the age of the Corona Virus Pandemic.  Many of us are trying to stay safe and help our love one’s escape sickness and death.

The kids are mostly on zoom school which has the twin features of increasing distractibility and stifling connections with peers.  We all suffer from not being able to socialize with friends except via screen time.

The former president made believe the virus was a minor event that was a bother for him to talk about.  History will note that he allowed four hundred thousand Americans to die and never acknowledged their deaths.  He did not lead us in mourning, only in storming. Enough about him.

While the despair, hopelessness and uncertainty can be overwhelming; Life Lessons were learned as well.

Here they are:

1. Appreciating the connection with love ones and friends.  Before the pandemic, I took it for granted that I would see my friends on the weekends.  We have been told to not socialize with anyone outside of immediate family. I have not seen most of my friends for weeks and I miss them so much.  I picture an image of them in my head or remember our latest zoom conversation.  I think about the qualities I love about them and long for the day I can see them again.  I am fortunate to have created new friendships and musical alliances.  Shout out to Bryan Dyer and Mar Stevens.
2. Our marriage has endured Corona 19 stress and grown stronger.  My wife Gail and I will have been married forty-nine years in July.  During that time, we have created a system that respects the other’s space and provides discussion around differences of opinion.  The lockdown that began in March forced us to create a live-work space in our apartment that we never had to face previously.  Gail is the director of The Meadows-Livingstone School and conducts Zoom School in our spare bedroom.  I use the living room environment as my workspace.  I am a therapist in private practice and work with all my clients virtually.  Gail has become an outstanding cook and my dishwashing skills have improved a little.  We are often in the same apartment for more than twenty hours per day.  The days where I went to my office in San Mateo, and she went to her school in San Francisco are distant memories.  The attribute of patience with others in my personal life has never been a strong suit, but I think it has improved greatly in the last year.  I value the love we have for each other intensely.  When I imagine the future traveling, hearing live music, eating at delicious restaurants, I am filled with joy knowing I am going to spend this time with Gail.
3. Appreciating working with my therapy clients. I have been a therapist for over thirty years and the Pandemic period has been extremely challenging.  One the one hand therapy through a screen is exhausting because I am so intent in connecting with the image looking at me through the computer application.  On the other hand, I believe I have completed some of the best work of my life.  Helping clients work through trauma and finding hope for the future is a richly rewarding experience.  This is my life’s work and I feel like I’m making a difference in the world.